Constellation Heart
by Iamriddlemaker
Summary: In his entire 18 years of existence, Regulus Black had been tainted by the wishes of his sadistic parents, mind corrupted by their poisonous views, his only sliver of happiness a blonde, curly haired girl. As he becomes more deeply entangled by the Dark Lord's reign, this is the story of how a Slytherin boy listened to his heart and defied the infamous Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort.
1. Chapter 1

Regulus Black stood solemnly beneath the pinstriped awning of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, back pressed against the champagne pink walls as he took refuge from the rain, head jerking irritably every so often as a stray droplet would splatter against his forehead. His dark hair was damp with drizzle, black robes in stark contrast to the exterior of the café as he watched the endless stream of wizards weaving in and out of the shops lining Diagon Alley like ants, a mass of flamboyantly coloured cloaks and hats.

It was the 31st of August meaning that tomorrow, the Hogwarts Express would depart from Kings Cross station to deliver the magically gifted students to school. This was the reason for the frenzied rush of people darting around with jumbles of bags hoisted up into their arms as they frantically attempted to defy the odds and gather all their school necessities in time.

He, of course, was not quite so blatantly unorganised – weeks ago he had ventured into Diagon Alley in order to purchase a new set of Slytherin robes and a stack of books to begin his seventh year at Hogwarts. The same, however, could not be said for the yellow clad figure weaving through the crowd towards him, head bent against the rain. Regulus snapped out of his thoughts, grey eyes focussing on the girl as she darted through a gap in the hordes of people, her feet slipping out from beneath her on the slimy cobblestones just as she neared him. Predicting her foolishness, Regulus had already darted out a hand to steady her, firmly gripping her elbow as the girl laughed breathlessly.

"You are quite extraordinarily clumsy, Starling," Regulus remarked dryly, his lips twisting in amusement as the girl nudged him aside, stepping beneath the shelter of the shop to tip back her hood. Brie Starling shook out her blonde, waterlogged hair, wringing the curls out in her hands like one might a wet tea towel as she grinned up at him, chocolate brown eyes crinkling with delight. "Not to mention predictable – how on earth do you always manage to be late?"

"Give it a rest, Reg," Brie rolled her eyes good-naturedly, rocking up on her toes to envelope him in a brief, lemon-scented hug before dragging him out from beneath the shelter whilst he grumbled under his breath, turning his collar up against the lashing rain as they were swept away with the throngs of shoppers. "You sound like my mother."

Despite being in Slytherin and Brie a Gryffindor, the pair had been best friends for almost six years; every time she referred to him as such, Regulus couldn't help but grin. This had, of course, come with a copious number of taunts and snide remarks from the rest of his house, but by now they knew there was no point in trying to steer him away from the girl. He had somehow, quite miraculously, managed to hide his unlikely friendship from his cold-hearted parents, who would certainly have more than one or two things to say about the undesirability of becoming friends with a half-blooded Gryffindor girl.

But Regulus had allowed himself this friendship. All his life, he had shrunk back from doing anything remarkably different to his fanatical family, not daring to so much as even think something they may not whole heartedly agree with. In his mind, he _deserved_ to be friends with Brie – it was what he had wanted from the moment he had met her, even after she had been sorted into Gryffindor with his infuriating brother.

After many years of pondering the thought, he had concluded what really separated him from Sirius, and why they were so different from one another. Sirius Black did not care about the retributions of his actions and beliefs – this much was clear from when he had stalked from number 12 Grimmauld Place at 16 years old, lugging a tattered suitcase down the flights of stairs before slamming the door in their faces. Regulus cringed at the memory, his mother's bloodcurdling screams of rage that had pulsated throughout the house as she maddeningly jerked the blistering poker from the embers of the fire and scorched Sirius from the Black family tapestry that curled around the entire wall of the dining room, thus disowning him.

There was one thing, however, that the two brothers did share – a friendship with Brie. Regulus had known it was inevitable as soon as the sorting hat had let out a cry of "GRYFFINDOR!" and the curly haired girl had skipped down the steps, flopping down onto the bench beside Sirius with a warm smile. Many heated arguments had soon followed between the three over the years, until finally he and Sirius had come to the silent resolution that doing so was fruitless and subsided, not without sharing particularly dark looks of loathing every time they came within 10 feet of each other, much to Brie's irritation.

"Mum wasn't too pleased when I told her I still needed to get my school stuff," Brie grinned weakly at the exasperated look on Regulus' face as they emerged from Flourish and Blotts, a tower of books precariously crammed into his arms as they had decided that he was the most unlikely to drop them. "Godric knows what I would've done if you hadn't replied to my letter in time. She probably would have murdered me there and then."

"It did come rather last minute, I admit," he said, raising an eyebrow as they stopped in the alley for Brie to double knot her trailing laces under Regulus' warning that he would not be able to pick her up if she fell. "Maybe your owl isn't up to scratch."

She threw him a reproachful look before standing. "I will have you know that Lysander is a perfectly good bird, thank you very much."

They continued their way down the street, Regulus hovering impatiently outside the shop fronts whilst Brie would scurry inside, emerging with bags swinging on her arms and her purse considerably lighter. It was almost five o'clock when she finally exited her last port of call, Scribbulus Writing Instruments, brandishing her new golden eagle feathered quill triumphantly as Regulus sighed in relief, glancing around. "Are you sure that's everything?"

"Well, I hope so," Brie said breezily, grinning as Regulus rolled his eyes. "If I've forgotten anything, I'll just get Mum or Dad to send it."

"I don't expect you'll be needing any new robes, will you?" Regulus smirked in amusement as they passed Madam Malkin's, still brimming with pixie-sized first years trembling upon the dress making stools as their new school robes were fitted to them. "You've barely grown two centimetres in the six years I've known you."

Brie grinned, elbowing him in the ribs. "Shut up. Do you have time to go and get an ice cream?"

"Do _you?_ " He countered as they dawdled in the direction of the shop they had met outside several hours before. "I live ten minutes from here, Brie. You're the one who could effectively be stranded in London for the night, and I don't think my parents would be too pleased if I announced a Gryffindor would be sleeping over."

She laughed, the golden bell hanging above the door tinkling as she and Regulus flopped down at the first unoccupied table their eyes fell upon, scattering Brie's shopping at their complaining feet. "I was planning on getting the Knight Bus, anyway. I don't fancy being stuck on a muggle train for hours on end."

Florean bustled over, looking extremely weary beneath his beaming smile, hardly surprising considering the torrents of customers he must have endured. He took their orders with a flourish of his vibrant feathered quill before conjuring up two extravagant glass dishes, turning to point his wand at the glass cabinet stacked with plastic tubs of ice cream. The flavours Brie and Regulus had requested came whizzing through the air inches before their faces, diving in a dilapidated tower inside their bowls. Before Brie even had a chance to dig out her dwindling coins, Regulus had already produced a handful of galleons and sickles that he handed over to Florean, smirking at Brie's nose of protest. "You didn't have to do that, Reg."

He shrugged his shoulders, smiling at her across the table. "I don't mind. Besides, I've barely seen you this summer. I needed to make it up to you somehow."

"I know," She pulled a face, using a long, silver spoon to scoop a dent in her chocolate fudge ice cream, licking it thoughtfully. "What on earth have you been doing?"

Regulus' expression clouded briefly at the mention of his holidays, frowning into his half-eaten sundae as it melted slowly before his eyes. "Every one of my family members is obsessed with the dark arts – all accept Sirius," he said his brother's name brief hint of admiration, mingled within his disgust. "It's hardly surprising that they want me to take after them in every sense, which is why they seem to have taken a particular interest in trying to sway me even more so to their way of life."

It was very rare indeed when Regulus would speak of his family, particularly the way he was now with a hint of resentment in his tone, and Brie found herself leaning forwards in intrigue, ignorant to the fact her blonde curls were falling into her ice cream. She had seen the sallow faced Walburga Black at the train station, stood stiffly beside her husband, and had always wondered what it would have been like for both Sirius and Regulus to grow up in a home so void of showing any indication of love or affection.

It had mostly been Sirius who had informed her of the dark goings on within the Black family, speaking so bitterly of his relatives that she had wondered how he had even managed 16 years of living with them. Everyone knew that the Blacks were an ancient, dark wizarding family, but even Brie had been unable to hide her outrage over their views. Everyone in the wizarding world could feel that something dark and dangerous was brewing as the Dark Lord began to test his power, his loyal subjugates branding themselves as Death Eater's as they began their torment upon those with even the thinnest connection to muggles. When she had first become friends with Regulus, the thought that he was related to them had scared her to no end, frequently imagining them finding out about their friendship and cursing her into oblivion, for no Gryffindor half-blood should associate with a Slytheirn pure-blood, in their eyes.

"What do you mean, in every sense?" Brie asked quietly, the ice cream numbing her throat as Regulus glanced up, his grey irises pure with incredulity, confirming the suspicion beginning to from in her mind. "Oh."

His lips twitched in amusement. "Yes, oh indeed. That may be the first time you've ever underexaggerated something, Brie."

He was tactfully trying to sway the subject onto easier grounds by resorting to teasing her as he usually did, but Brie couldn't help but question him further, worry curling into a tightly wound knot inside her as she hesitantly asked, "Are you – are you considering it?"

Regulus sighed, running a hand agitatedly through his dark strands before finally saying, "It is what is expected of me," leaving Brie irritatingly none the wiser to his intentions as she frowned at him across the table, unable to prevent the sharp tug of fear at her heartstrings as they lapsed into a strained silence, the only sound that of their spoons clinking whilst they resolutely finished their ice creams, lost in thought.

* * *

 **Authors note - Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new fan fiction, after many years, Constellation Heart! I just wanted to quickly add that you may find the first few chapters slightly slow paced whilst I introduce all of the characters etc., but I promise things will pick up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

The kitchen window of the Starling household revealed only the inky black sky outside, the world a swirl of darkness with the distant sound of early rising wrens and blackbirds singing in chorus, welcoming the dawn. Brie peered out through the frosted glass pane as she escaped the whirlwind that was her mother, sitting cross-legged upon the kitchen counter with a chipped mug of tea in her hand, chasing away the numbness in her fingers. Lysander, her eagle owl, was perched beside her, eagerly hoovering up the crumbs from the biscuits she was munching on as utter chaos unfolded before her eyes.

Considering only one of her three children would be returning to Hogwarts this year, anyone might have thought that Rosanna Starling would be marginally less flustered than usual, however this was not the case. In fact, Brie would go as far to say that she was worse than normal.

"Mum, stop _fussing_ ," Benedict Starling grumbled, ducking beneath his mother's flapping arms as he stood in front of the lopsided mirror hanging in the kitchen, straightening his midnight blue tie as a nostalgic reflection of his Ravenclaw days at Hogwarts whilst attempting to tame his unruly fair hair into something slightly more presentable for work at the Ministry. "You're doing my head in."

Sebastian poked his head from above the bannister of the rickety staircase leading upstairs, his chocolate brown hair sticking up at peculiar angles and his green eyes still glazed with sleep as he cast a disgruntled look downwards, looking particularly irritable. "Merlin, I don't think you could be any louder if you tried. What's with all the screeching?"

"Oh, Sebastian, be quiet," their mother snapped, pursing her lips into a thin line as she craned her head to narrow her green eyes at him, a perfect replica of his own. " _You_ may be perfectly able to laze around at home all day; however, I have to get to work, your sister needs to somehow find her way to the train station and Benedict-"

"Has to get to his job at the Ministry," Sebastian said in a high-pitched voice, mimicking their mothers tone childishly. He grudgingly shuffled his way down the stairs, rolling his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation as he flopped down upon the faded armchair beside the agar, ignoring the withering look Rosanna Starling threw his way. "I know he bloody does, Mum, as I'm sure do the rest of Cornwall the amount you keep going on about it."

Benedict shot his twin a peevish glance in the reflection of the mirror before shaking his head, turning back to inspect the lapels of his blazer to ensure they were still impeccably clean.

"Now, Brie," Rosanna said wearily, turning to her daughter with a frown. "Are you quite sure the Potter's don't mind taking you to the train station? You know I would usually take you, but what with these new work hours-"

"Yes, Mum. It's fine," Brie sighed, unfolding her legs so that they now dangled against the cupboards below. "I didn't even need to ask – James' mum and dad offered the last time I went over to his house a couple weeks ago."

The tension in her mother's shoulders ebbed a little before she kissed her daughter fleetingly atop her head of curls before Brie could protest, green eyes holding a glint of warning. "Don't keep them waiting, will you?"

Brie shook her head feverishly, hopping off from the counter to plop her finished mug into the sink. The scourer lazily slid into the washing up bowl, the taps streaming as it magically cleaned the dish, soap suds forming before her eyes as the washing up liquid joined in the party. "I won't. I just need to go upstairs and get my suitcase, then I'll go."

Rosanna smacked a hand to her forehead, eyes widening in realisation. "I haven't even checked if you've got everything-"

Sebastian cut across their mothers cry of despair before turmoil could ensue by gesturing towards his owl, a delicate tawny by the name of Pavlova, who was dozing sleeping on top of the kitchen cabinet, head tucked beneath one of her wings. "If she does forget anything, I can just send Pavlova to deliver it. Or, if Brie uses her noggin and realises herself, Lysander can come and get it. It isn't the end of the world."

"We'll be late if we don't leave now, Mum, anyway," Benedict said coaxingly, unable to keep the twang on anxiety out of his voice as he fidgeted, glancing down at the watch on his wrist. Brie glanced at her elder sibling sympathetically – despite his initial jubilation upon being granted a position after his application to the Wizengamot Administration Services at the Ministry, every day since he had been excessively worrying about the job, with being late his major concern. "And I need to find my office…"

"Oh Ben, of course," Rosanna sighed, tucking a dark brown strand of hair behind her ear as she gave him a feeble pat on the shoulder in an attempt to soothe his concern. She turned back to her other children with a frown, green eyes narrowed as they flitted between them. "Be good, both of you."

Two resounding _cracks_ echoed around the kitchen as the pair dissaparated, causing Pavlova to jolt awake with a shriek as Sebastian let out a sigh of relief, sinking lower into the confines of his armchair as he glanced up at Brie, jerking his thumb in the direction of the kitchen door. "Bugger off to James', then. I trust I don't need to show you how to use floo powder, do I?"

Pulling a particularly ghastly face over her shoulder, Brie shot up the ancient staircase leading to the second floor of the house before clambering up the slightly dilapidated wooden ladder her father had put up that led to her bedroom. After many years of squabbling between the three siblings, somehow Brie had won the argument granting her the attic bedroom of their ramshackle, countryside cottage. The walls were cream, a slanting ceiling plastered with curling, moving photographs of her and her friends through the years, scattered around dangling Gryffindor banners and flags. From kneeling precariously on her dressing table, she would peer out through the angled windows over the golden fields growing rapeseed, listening to the church bells of their wizarding village ring, echoing throughout the valley.

Casting a fleeting glance around her bedroom for any stray things she might need for school, Brie shoved the corners of her red Quidditch gear into the confines of her case, zipping it tightly before scrambling back down the ladder, her case thumping loudly against each rung she went down.

When she returned to the kitchen, Lysander blinked up at her and ruffled his feathers, wings stretching as he fluttered up onto Brie's left shoulder, talons digging into her jumper sharply. Once he had settled onto his new perch she heaved her luggage, scraping it noisily across the floorboards as she moved passed her brother. "Don't tire yourself out too much with your busy life schedule, will you? I'd _hate_ for you to exhaust yourself."

He grinned at her sarcasm, stretching his long legs out contentedly as Flea, their greying border terrier, hopped onto his lap languidly, head resting upon his knee. "I wish I was going back to Hogwarts," Sebastian sighed mournfully. "Now I'm going to have mum and dad nagging me twenty-four hours a day until I find a flipping job like Ben."

She grinned, shaking her head as Sebastian reached up and ruffled her curls, making the strands even more unruly. "See you at Christmas, Cheesey."

Rolling her eyes at the nickname, Brie walked through the house and into the lounge. Photo frames cluttered the wooden mantelpiece of the fire, along with abandoned plates and glasses which, Brie realised with some repulsion, appeared to have the green traces of mould growing upon them. Shuddering through her repulsion, she was just about to step into the fireplace when a familiar brown stick caught her eye, protruding from behind a photograph of her mum, dad and brothers at a past birthday celebration. The sight of it caused Brie to give a jolt of relief as she hastily grabbed her wand, hardly daring to think what her mother would have done if she had forgotten it, and slipped it inside her pocket.

Making sure both her luggage and Lysander's bird cage were within the confines of the fire Brie bent her head, ignoring Lysander's indignant squawk in her ear, and stepped inside. To her despair, she needn't have even bothered crouching due to her short height and, with a mutter under her breath, she dipped her hand into the patterned pot strapped to the brick of the chimney. The floo powder fell through the cracks in her fingers, sending up miniature dust clouds as it hit the grate before she dropped the entire handful at her feet, letting out a cry of, "Potter House!"

Brightly coloured flames flared up around her, encasing her in a wall of fire as a fierce wind blew, the living room blurring before her eyes before she scrunched them shut, willing the sensation to end as quickly as it had started.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, Brie!" Euphemia Potter exclaimed in surprise, the sound of tinkling china soon following as she dropped her cup of tea in shock, darting forwards as Brie somersaulted out of the fireplace, landing in a crumpled heap upon the cream carpet of the Potter's living room. The resulting plume of dust that followed caused all those in the room to splutter. Fleamont Potter, James' father, raised his eyebrows over the brim of the Daily Prophet he was reading in his usual green armchair, looking faintly amused at the destruction before him. "Are you alright, dear?"

Lysander gave a shriek of displeasure at their painful, abrupt landing, stretching his golden wings before hastily flapping around the room, landing on the top of the bookcase with a hiss of reproach as he ruffled his feathers in a vain attempt to dislodge the black smut clinging to them. Brie glanced up at him briefly as she scrambled to her feet, mortified, gaping down at the black smudges of coal she has caused upon the carpet. She clapped a hand to her mouth in horror before wheezing on the ash that she inhaled. " _Merlin_ , I'm so sorry, Euphemia-"

The witch shook her head, reaching into the pocket of her robes to retrieve her wand before giving Brie a delicate pat on the shoulder. "Don't be silly, now. It's no bother." Her mousy brown hair was liberally streaked with silver as she looked down at the mess in exasperation, pointing her wand directly at the distinct outline of Brie's splattered figure as she muttered, " _Scourgif_ y."

The carpet began to foam, soapy bubbles coating the stain before they began to slowly dissolve, removing the remnants of Brie's mishap in a bat of an eyelid. Euphemia smiled warmly at Brie, her hazel eyes glittering before she gestured towards the stairs, saying kindly, "You may use the bathroom if you wish to – I know how hard it is to dust that pesky ash off completely. And, while you're at it, could you _please_ try and rouse the boys," at this, she rolled her eyes, pursing her lips. "I've been trying to wake them for an hour now, and they still aren't up."

"Thank you," Brie returned her smile gratefully, turning to glance guiltily at Fleamont, who had risen from his chair to rescue her belongings from the soot. "I'm so sorry, Fleamont-"

He chortled, blue eyes crinkling as he waved away her concern, levitating her things up onto the sofa. "Don't you worry about it, Brie. You've visited enough times that I should've known the inevitable."

Apologising to James' parents again, she darted out of the room, cursing herself for her carelessness as she took the steps two at a time in her haste to see what damage had been done to her appearance, yanking open the bathroom door and latching it firmly shut before she turned to the elaborate mirror propped behind the sink.

Brie groaned in horror at her reflection – no wonder why Euphemia had so strongly suggested she should go to the bathroom. She bore a remarkable resemblance to a chimney sweep, a grey handprint plastered around her mouth as she ran the tap hastily. The plug gurgled loudly as she reached for the soap, lathering it in her palms to scrape away the dirt rimming her fingernails before splashing her face with water, scrubbing away the layers of ash and grime. Even though she looked rather flushed in the face and her curls now clung irritatingly to her damp skin, she felt far less dirty. The same, however, could not be said for her grimy clothes – she looked down at the smears of soot in despair, rummaging through her pocket to retrieve her ash wand before reciting the cleaning spell, watching in satisfaction as the majority of the smudges disappeared.

Brie exited the bathroom and glanced between the two doors situated across from one another, musing who she should try and wake first, before deciding on James. She crossed the landing, banging loudly on the door before barging it open, wrinkling her nose at the state of his bedroom. There was a peculiar stale smell clinging to the air as though the windows hadn't been opened in quite some time whilst she took in the mountain of dishes stacked up beside his bed and the crumpled heaps of unwashed clothing littering the floor. In fact, Brie would have been surprised to even catch a glimpse of any floorboards that had not covered in James' mess.

The brown-haired boy jerked abruptly awake, raising his head blearily to find the source of his waking before his hazel eyes fell upon Brie with a groan, rubbing a hand across his face before he fell back onto his pillows. "Bloody hell, Brie. Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?"

"Good morning to you too, James," she replied dryly, hurling one of the long-sleeved tops slung on the back of his chair at her friend's head, and grinned as it made contact, judging by his muttered breath of annoyance. "And funnily enough, no. Your mum told me to get you up."

James reached blindly for his glasses before grudgingly sighing, running a hand through his peculiarly angled hair. "What time is it?"

"Just after seven, I think. Come _on_ , James," Brie said, exasperated, as she flicked his light switch, flooding the room with light whilst he gave a yelp of indignation, wincing. "The quicker you get ready, the quicker you'll be able to begin your psychotic infatuation with Lily once again."

He narrowed his eyes at the comment, although his expression considerably brightened at the mention of the red-heads name. James struggled upright in bed, throwing her a smirk as Brie continued to hover in his doorway. "Unless you fancy watching me get changed, Starling, I suggest you go and wake up Sirius. I'm sure he'd be delighted."

Pulling a disgusted face, she shut his bedroom door, turning instead to the spare room that Sirius now occupied. The door, however, was already open and she started in surprise to find Sirius stood behind her, looking amused. He had already changed, dressed in a black t shirt and blue denim jeans as he regarded her with glittering grey eyes, yawning loudly with a toothbrush in one hand. "Sorry to disappoint you, love, but it appears I'm already awake. Apparently, these walls aren't sound proof, and I tend to hear when someone is yelling in the room across from me."

Brie grinned as Sirius engulfed her in a one-armed hug, careful not to get toothpaste on her already dirty jumper, his citrus shower gel wafting up her nose as they embraced. "I'll have to bare that in mind next time."

His lips quirked as he parted his mouth to speak, stepping backwards, before his grey eyes flickered to the black smears staining her top, looking highly entertained as she flushed under his knowing gaze. "Blimey, Brie. How on Earth do you manage to be so bloody clumsy?"

"Purely for the pleasure of those around me," Brie rolled her chocolate irises good naturedly, folding her arms as she nodded in the direction of the bathroom. "Haven't you got to go and preen your hair?"

"Cheeky," Sirius grinned, flicking her on the nose before stepping past her to do just that. "Do you fancy being helpful by perhaps stuffing my books in my suitcase? I haven't completely finished packing, and my hair does take some time."

She sighed loudly as though he had just asked her to collect a bucketful of Bubotuber pus, turning towards his ajar bedroom door as she said, "I suppose, although you'd better buy me a cauldron cake when we get on the train."

* * *

A couple hours later, the three friends were crammed into the backseats of Fleamont's clapped out silver car, Brie squished into the middle seat between the two boys due to her small size as they bickered over leg room. The wizard had been granted a permit for the muggle vehicle by the Ministry so long as it was only used under circumstances where no other method of travel was available, such as this. Their luggage, along with Lysander and James' owl, Fergus, had been lodged into the boot of the car as Mr Potter dramatically span the steering wheel, causing Brie to become permanently wedged into Sirius' side. The tyres bumped over the potholes covering the streets of London, jolting the car as both birds let out dreadful shrieks of resentment, deafening the passengers and leaving them all with ringing ears by the time they finally reached Kings Cross.

"I thought we might've been a bit pushed for time," Fleamont remarked as they screeched to a halt in the car park of Kings Cross station, cutting across Brie and James' raised voices due to him knocking her bag of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum out of her grasp, sending the sweets flying throughout the vehicle. "Twenty minutes should be plenty. Do you need a hand with anything?"

"No, thank you, Fleamont. We'll be fine," Sirius shook his head, reaching for the handle of the door in relief as he stepped out, stretching his legs with a weary sigh before he peered back into the car. "I'll go and get a trolley."

"Good, good," the wizard said, raising his periwinkle irises to the rear-view mirror to peer back at Brie and James, who were now clambering around on the floor in an attempt to retrieve the dropped treats. "Are you alright, you two? What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"

Brie smiled up at him weakly, holding up the brightly coloured wrapper of the gum as Sirius grumbled from outside of the car, telling them to hurry up. "Sorry, I dropped my sweets. Thank you for the lift, Mr Potter."

"Anytime, dear, anytime," Fleamont beamed, drumming his hands on the steering wheel as James climbed out of the car after Brie, slamming the door shut. "Behave yourself, James. I'll see you at Christmas."

"Yes, Dad," James grinned, raising his hand in farewell as his father pulled away from the curb, wheels screeching on the tarmac painfully before he turned back to his two friends, looking distinctly green. "I swear, that is the last time I go in that car. He drives like a maniac."

Brie and Sirius sniggered as they hauled the three trunks and two bird cages up onto the cart, Sirius jumping back with an indignant yelp as Lysander nipped at his poorly placed fingers whilst lifting the cage up. He scowled at the bird, shaking his hand. "Bloody git."

"He only bites the people he loves," she said, stroking the bird's feathers whilst poking her tongue out at Sirius childishly as he inspected his bleeding finger with a sour expression.

He glanced sideways at her with a dark smirk. "I hope he is bloody infatuated with Regulus, then."

Brie frowned at the comment, parting her lips to speak before James tactfully pushed the trolley in between them before an argument could ensue, flourishing a hand towards the metal handlebar with a pointed glance at Brie. "Personally, I'd rather like to see you push the cart. I'm sure that would bring a bit of delight to all of the miserable buggers around here."

She hushed him quickly, narrowing her eyes at his obnoxiously loud voice before looking around the station to find herself silently agreeing with James. They _did_ look rather miserable, expressions sombre as the muggles elbowed their way through the crowds, muttering snide remarks as they rushed around in their monotone clothes. Brie had always found muggles rather peculiar – they forever seemed to rush through their lives, so oblivious to the wonderful world around them as the years slowly ticked by until, inevitably, time would capture them in a steely iron hand.

"Dream on, Potter," Brie said after a moment, watching in amusement as he reluctantly curled his hands around the handle, Sirius at his side. "Now, come on. Let's go."

* * *

Platform 9 ¾ was crammed with families bidding farewell to their children, teary eyed mothers smothering them in kisses as their sons and daughters would yelp and duck away, beet red with embarrassment. Large streams of students were lined in disorderly queues as they attempted to board the gleaming red Hogwarts Express, arms straining as they lugged large suitcases at their feet.

Brie let out a dismal sigh of irritation at the faces pressed against almost every compartment window she could see, wondering how they would be able to find seats for the journey as she whipped her head around impatiently, bobbing up on her toes as though a few centimetres difference in height would aid her in seeing above the sea of heads as she searched for the familiar faces of her friends. "I wonder where Remus and Lily are – and Peter," she added hastily before James could chastise her for forgetting the short plump boy.

"They're probably already on the train, although I think you might be a tad too short to look for them anyway," Sirius grinned crookedly, grey eyes pointedly glancing downwards at her bent toes before nodding to the train door they were nearest to whilst James pulled the trolley to a stop. "Go and find a compartment, Brie – me and James will sort out our stuff. And take your bloody bird with you."

Casting one more fleeting glance around before boarding the train, Brie's chocolate eyes widened in surprise as she saw Regulus stood watching her, trying to catch her eye. He was already dressed in his robes, leant against a marble pillar further along the platform, his grey irises flickering over Brie as his lips curled into a small smile of greeting before he turned back to the Slytherin boys stood beside him, glancing down at the watch bound around his wrist before gesturing to the train. Taking this as her cue to jump on the train before she became stuck upon the platform, Brie hastily scooped up Lysander's bird cage and hopped up into the carriage, the doors sealing shut with a crackle of magic behind her as the train gave a groan of life, wheels slowly churning along the tracks as it departed.


End file.
